Children's Ministry (Quest)

Quest – The Nairobi Chapel Children’s Ministry

 

The Nairobi Chapel Children’s Department

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

 

Tracing our foot steps

The Nairobi Chapel children’s ministry has had a long and eventful history that spans almost 5 decades . Over the years, we have established a time-honored custom of giving special treatment to children due to the importance they hold as far as future generations are concerned. Our commitment to nurture children of faith is underpinned by the belief that a strong children’s ministry translates into a strong social fabric.

 

Our Mission

Our mission is drawn from that of the larger church, Equipping God’ s people to disciple the nations for Christ.

 

Our Vision

• Our vision is to nurture children of F.A.I.T.H., an acronym for
• Firm foundations in the word of God,
• Active devotion expressed in a worshipping lifestyle and the spiritualdisciplines,
• Involvement in God’s community of love and service,
• Transformed lives seen in Christ-like character,
• Heart for mission and outreach.

 

Our Strategy

We strive to fulfill our vision through the following significant ways:

• Partnering with parents: We believe that the ultimate responsibility for spiritual development of children rests on parents. Our role basically, is to work closely with them to complement their efforts and reinforce their spiritual mandate (Deut 4:9). There are however exceptions – children who come from homes where they don t receive any spiritual nurture. In such cases we work hard to bridge the gap.
• The teacher’s role: The Sunday school teacher is to be an evangelist, an encourager, a disciple maker, and an excellent role model for the children. They are to use their spiritual gifts in cooperation with the Holy Spirit to see transformation in the lives of the children.
• Bible based programs: Our Sunday school seeks to be age appropriate, application oriented, and in the context of intentional shepherding and mentoring. Our curriculum is derived from two main sources: Christian Evangelistic Fellowship (CEF) and Jubilee Station from our partner churches. It is usually taught in units which can take as long as 8 weeks depending on the prevailing season (e.g. Easter, Christmas etc).

 

Ministry Set-up

The department caters for about 600 children between the ages 2 and 11. For effective ministry, we have divided the children into 6 age-related groups namely:  “Itibari” (Faith Buds) 2 year olds;  “Neema” (Grace) 3 year olds;  “Imani” (Faith) 4-5 year olds;  “Sifa” (Praise) 6-7 year olds;  “Shangwe” (Jubilant) 8-9 year olds; and  “Johari” (Jewel) 10-11 year olds.

 

Creche

We have a crèche for parents with children below the age of two, right next to the adult church. Here, the parents can keep up with the service through closed-circuit television as they nurse their kids. A crèche attendant looks after their welfare, serving tea to the parents, and providing toys for the children.

The crèche is spacious, and has plenty of mattresses on which parents can change their kid’s diapers.

 

Itibari (Faith Buds) 2 year olds

When children attain the age of 2, they move from the creche to the ‘Itibari’ class. Parents are encouraged to sit in with their children in this class as they get accustomed to Sunday school. The children get to sing, hear interesting Bible stories through puppetry and make fun crafts to complement their lessons.

Refreshements are served at the end of the class, and teacher helpers are available to help parents escort their children to the toilets.

For security reasons, parents are required to sign in their children whenever they bring them to class. Each parent will receive a tag with a number which MUST be presented at the end of the service. Only then will the child be released. We discourage siblings from bringing children to class.

 

Neema (Grace) 3 year olds

When faith buds attain the age of 3, they advance to a new class dubbed Neema (Grace). Sunday school basically begins here. The Neema kids do not stay with their parents any longer (at the crèche); instead, they are entrusted to the care of Sunday school teachers, who teach, nurse, and keep an eye on them. For security reasons, parents are required to sign in their children whenever they bring them to class. Each parent will receive a tag with a number which MUST be presented at the end of the service. Only then will the child be released. We discourage siblings from bringing children to class.The class begins at 10:30am and consists of bible lessons, crafts, snack time and fill ups, incase the main service delays.

 

Imani (Faith)  4 to 5 year olds

When the Neema (Grace) kids attain the age of 4, they progress to the next level, which we call Imani (Faith).

Imani kids basically have the same schedule as their Neema counterparts; except that in addition to teachers, they also have shepherds. Their large number has occasioned the division of the group into three classes, i.e. Imani Blue, Red, and Green.

                                                                                                                        

 

Sifa (Praise)  6 to 7 year olds

Sifa (Praise) comprises 6 to 7 year olds who have just graduated from the Imani class. Their curriculum is relatively more advanced than that of Neema and Imani. It includes:

• Bible lessons,
• Scripture memorization and
• Crafts.

The service begins at 10:30am with a joint worship session with the Shangwe and Johari groups. The children then disperse to their respective classes.

 

Shangwe(Jubilant)  8 to 9 year olds

Shangwe or Jubilant is a Sunday school group comprising 8 to 9 year old children who have graduated from the Sifa class. Shangwe’s schedule is similar to that of Sifa class.

Its curriculum includes:

• Bible lessons,
• Scripture memorization and
• Crafts.

The service begins at 10:30am with a joint worship session with the Sifa and Johari groups. The children then disperse to their respective classes.

 

Johari(Jewel) 10 to 11 year olds

Johari, or Jewel, is the summit of the Sunday school experience. At this point the 10 to 11 year old children are taught various lessons including Water Baptism and the Holy Communion. At the end, they take part in these exercises. After graduation, the Johari children progress to the Youth Ministry’ s  GUZA class.

 

Sunday school activities

The Sunday school is the core ministry of the children’s department. For this reason we are committed to growing it and making it as effective as possible.

Each Sunday school service has five major components:

• Large group worship, where the children are given the opportunity to experience the larger community in faith and worship. The session incorporates song and prayer.
• Large group bible lessons, where bible stories are presented in creative ways that will leave an indelible impression on the children’s minds. During this session, we let them see the Bible as an item of great veneration. Some of the techniques employed include drama, monologues, puppetry, interviews, mimes and interactive story telling.
• Small group interaction and shepherding, where the children get the chance to bond with other children in their group. The small group set-up encourages the children to talk more freely, as they probe into issues more deeply, share their life experiences, and learn to trust, pray and care for each other. It also facilitates a one-on-one relationship with their teachers who serve as their mentors and role models, always ready to help them understand and apply the truths taught from the Bible
• Scripture Memorization, where the children are taught to hide God’s word in their hearts through reflection. A variety of creative ways are employed to keep it from becoming dull and monotonous.
• Bible Crafts and art projects are used to stimulate the imagination of the children and reinforce the lesson learnt.

Other Activities:

Apart from our Sunday school programs, the children are often engaged in other pursuits that enhance their social skills. The Annual Kids Kamp, held during the August school holidays brings together children from the various services resulting in special friendship bonds. It offers a significant opportunity for extended instruction and discipleship. Spiritual disciplines like quiet time and prayer are taught. Creative crafts help to reinforce the Bible lessons taught, while fun times and games allow for informal learning through group dynamics and observing the teachers as models of fair-play. The teachers (who are often the camp counselors as well) have opportunity for deeper interaction with the children.

The ministry also runs a Baptism class for children between ages 10 and 11 (Johari). Here, the children are first taken through the elementary lessons that pertain to baptism before taking part in the exercise. We prepare them for the significance of this action, which is a clear statement of their friendship with God, a display of their obedience to His word and a public declaration of their commitment to Christ.

In addition, plans are underway to re-institute two groups – Precious Pearls (for girls) and Soaring Eagles (for boys) – that had been established earlier to cater for children approaching the age of adolescence.

Bible Clubs and Pastoral Programs are part of our outreach ministry. Our strategy is two-pronged: to set up Bible Clubs in every residential area within our sphere of influence, and to have a Pastoral Program in every primary school within our reach. So far we have a Bible club that meets bimonthly at our neighboring residential estate, Santack Estate, and Pastoral programs at Jamhuri and Kawangware Primary Schools.

Ministry Oversight

The children’s department is headed by Pastor Beatrice Muriu who serves as its Director. She is assisted by a team of 7 full-time ministry workers and approximately 100 teachers/shepherds on a volunteer basis.